Backlash Beer Co’s Salute Epitomizes Boston Spirit

Although this may not be obvious all the time, the reason why I started writing here is not because I love the Boston beer scene and think it is special and you should be aware of it, though I do. It is because I think Boston, the city, is special, and I humbly hoped I could transmit a little bit of that emotion through my beer writing.

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Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout 2013 Odd Year Release

Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

North Coast Brewing  – Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

ABV: 9%

IBU: 75

I consider this to be THE Russian Imperial Stout. The Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout brand image is a drawing of Rasputin, the infamous Mad Monk, with a phrase in Russian encircling it – A sincere friend is not born instantly. I beg to differ with this sentiment as I found a quick liquid ‘friend’ in this dark, dry stout from just a few gulps. I’m telling you, on these Colorado cold evenings, this brew can hypnotize you with its healing powers of warmth.  Much like Rasputin and his mysteries of healing magic, many are unsure how this ale makes you feel different after just a few pulls, but it really does evoke a sense of liquid sorcery in every sip.

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River Horse Belgian Freeze

River Horse Belgian Freeze

ABV: 8%

Adult kickball leagues are great. The nostalgic feel of playing kickball in my backyard with my cousins is nice, but when you add beer to that, it’s fantastic. Last Thursday, I had the privilege of substituting in a kickball league in Cincinnati and was pleasantly surprised when I was offered some unique beers by a fellow teammate. One beer I particularly enjoyed was called River Horse Belgian Freeze, brewed and sold only in New Jersey. Therefore, if you ever find yourself visiting Jersey, I highly recommend you buy some of these beers to ease yourself into the experience of some Jersey Shore-esque behavior that seemed to have taken over the state.  Read More

Dogfish Head – Immort Ale

Dogfish Head – Immort Ale

ABV: 11.00%

With a smoked peaty richness and a subtle sweet maple finish Immort Ale is bound to warm even the coldest of hearts in … Read More

The Fort Collins Brewery’s Hoptitude Imperial Extra Pale Ale

ABV: 7.5%   IBUs: 54

With the Spring weather being so bi-polar lately, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to ride my bike to Fort Collins Brewery to meet with marketing director Charles Stanley and chat beer. I sucked it up, threw on a scarf, and braved the wind. I was going to have a beer after all, The Fort Collins Brewery was releasing their most recent seasonal, Hoptitude Imperial Extra Pale Ale. Read More

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA

Key Facts:

• Bottled in Chico, California
• Style: American Rye IPA
• 6.6 ABV
• Season: Winter-Spring

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The Shed Brewery Mountain Ale

The Shed Brewery Mountain Ale (via Otter Creek and Long Trail Brewing)

ABV: 7.4%

IBU: 35

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Kona Brewing Co. – Koko Brown

26.7 IBU

5.5% ABV

What I went to Jungle Jim’s looking for and what I came home with were two completely different beers. Nevertheless, I was pleased with my choice. Kona Brewing Company’s Koko Brown is an ale brewed with coconut, and I absolutely LOVE coconut! Coconut candy, coconut shrimp, coconut rum…you name it, I want it. Unfortunately, I know a lot of people who don’t enjoy it as much as I do, so I don’t get to eat it (or in this case drink it) as often as I would like. Read More

Odell Brewing – Tree Shaker Imperial Peach IPA

On a Saturday in Fort Collins, a few of us PorchDrinkers brewery hopped, visiting New Belgium, Funkwerks and Odell. Lucky for us, a new beer debuted that day (April 6) at Odell Brewing, so it was a chance for all of us to try something new. The Tree Shaker Imperial Peach IPA is just as delicious as it promises to be.

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Samuel Adams’ 26.2 Boston Brew

It’s Marathon Monday! If you don’t know what that means, you obviously do not live in Boston. I suppose it’s known as “Patriots’ Day” elsewhere[1], but ironically, in the land of the Pats, the Boston Marathon is the main event. Imagine if Macy’s Thanksgiving Day was 20 miles longer in a city 1/20th the size of New York: things get a little crazy and crowded.

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Bluegrass Brewing Company– Horse Piss

Bluegrass Brewing Company– Horse Piss Beer – 5.0% ABV

Remember Opposite Day? When good meant bad, ugly meant pretty, and happy meant sad? Opposite day paved the way for things like “not” and facetious “no-ew-oh” remarks, and eventually to the consistent sarcasm of high school and the intentional irony of adulthood. Many people say that we are living in the Age of Irony. Irony is in; it is cool. If you get it…then you get it. John Deere hats are no longer worn by farmers, sons of farmers, or those who have ever actually rode a tractor, but by those that shop at the mall at Hot Topic. We are so inundated with irony that we now have to say “literally” when we are not being ironic or sarcastic or hyperbolic. (By the way, my personal pet peeve is when someone prefaces a comment with “literally” and then says something figurative. That is not hyperbole; that is stupidity.) Bluegrass Brewing Company’s Horse Piss Beer, which I assumed to be a wittily ironic name, piqued my interest then confounded my senses, making me realize (for the second straight review) that craft brewers should heed the warning that quite a bit comes with a name. Read More

Unity Vibrations Ginger Kombucha Beer

As an Ohioan, this first week of warm weather makes me want to pop a bottle of champagne and celebrate the end of a long and cold winter (despite what the groundhog said otherwise a couple months ago). However, thanks to my brother who just came back from Grand Rapids Michigan, the brewery capital of the country, I think he may of found something even better… drum-roll please…Unity Vibrations Ginger Kombucha Beer!!!  Read More

Devil’s Backbone Vienna Lager

ABV: 4.9%

IBU: 18

As the age-old tradition goes, when the parents come to town, you have them treat you to dinner at places that are a bit (or a lot) out of your price range. I personally do not think this pasttime will ever fade, as my family loves exploring new places and sampling interesting eats, and (to be perfectly honest) I am always willing to let someone else pick up the check. As the fam visited the District this past weekend, I, of course, packed our itinerary with delicious prospects from new and old favorite restaurants. One particular gem is The Pig on 14th Street. As a member of the EatWell family, The Pig specializes in a more local, sustainable, and – when possible – farm-to-table approach to food. Beyond the merits of its laudable approach to sourcing ingredients, this place just makes a lot of very tasty, pork-filled dishes.

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Kona Brewing Long Board Island Lager

This beer makes a real “paki” which is Hawaiian for ‘splash’ as my beer cap informed me in Snapple-esque style. Okay, perhaps not quite a “splash” so much as a relaxed and steady wave would be the best descriptor for the Kona Brewing Long Board Island Lager, coming out of Hawaii. You won’t catch this balance-challenged reviewer anywhere near a surfboard, but who doesn’t love an island state of mind? And this beer certainly embraces it. Read More

Samuel Adams – Alpine Spring

5.5% ABV

18 IBUs

I am all up on spring beers. Why? Because I am ready for it to be warm. Seriously. It’s April, and it’s still in the 40s. WTF!? Samuel Adams Alpine Spring has been on the shelf for awhile, but I refused to buy it until it was actually spring. Well here we are, and it still feels like winter. Oh well, at least the sun is out…I guess? Read More

Mikkeller Green Easter IPA

ABV: 7% | IBU: 100+

These Gypsy brewers are true ‘phantoms’ of the craft. For those unfamiliar with Mikkeller, these folks from across the pond in Denmark have made over 600 beers in a myriad of styles that are very aggressive and push the envelope of styles new and old. They venture the globe, partnering with others to craft sudsy treats for you and I. This time, with Mikkeller Green Easter IPA, they take on the West Coast IPA. And they do it better?!? Read More

Starr Hill’s Monticello Reserve Ale

Starr Hill’s Monticello Reserve Ale – 27 IBU, 5.5% ABV

My wife, Sarah, and I began our geeked-out Spring Break en route to Washington D.C. with a trip to the home of our third President, Thomas Jefferson. Monticello is a vast rollercoaster of hills and hollers nestled in the northern outskirts of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Jefferson, a vegetarian for all intents and purposes (“using meat merely as a condiment,” as our tour guide informed us), fancied himself a farmer, as evidenced by acres of flowers, orchards, groves, gardens, and vineyards. The Monticello Reserve Ale from Charlottesville’s own Starr Hill Brewing is an homage to the type of beer that would have been consumed regularly in the Jefferson household, using two ingredients that were readily available on the Monticello grounds, wheat and corn. Read More

Franzia – Vintner’s Select White Merlot

ABV: 12.5%

IBU: 0

As an avid wine drinker, I’ve sampled the gamut of varietals – from French Burgundy to Argentinian Torrontes – but am always seeking out a truly special wine experience. I’ve come very close in the past with some choice picks, such as the slightly jammy Meiomi Pinot Noir from California I sampled a few weeks ago. However, nothing could have prepared me for this gem of a find that had been hidden in plain sight for all of these years.

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One Minute Beer Review: New Belgium Oh La La

Last night I happened upon the jackpot of tap lists for a random Wednesday night.  My buddy Andy was craving the sweet nectar known as Pliny the Elder and there was only one place in town that you could guarantee to have it on tap, Falling Rock.  As I spied their specialty tap lists etched on 4 separate chalk boards I quickly realized that I had been swept into the perfect storm of accidental leftover tappings.

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